Apple has launched new MacBook Pros featuring the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which introduce new "super cores" and increased core counts for a claimed multi-threaded CPU performance boost of up to 30% over the prior generation. The chips also offer significantly more unified memory, enhanced GPU performance with improved ray tracing, and a 16-core neural engine for up to a 4x AI performance gain.
The laptops feature much faster SSDs with double the performance and increased base storage, now starting at 1TB for M5 Pro and 2TB for M5 Max configurations. Other updates include a new in-house networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, an upgraded camera, and the Liquid Retina XDR display.
The new 14-inch and 16-inch models are available for pre-order with increased starting prices of $2,199 and $2,699, respectively.
Main topics: New M5 Pro and M5 Max chip specifications (CPU, GPU, memory, AI performance); Updated MacBook Pro features (storage, display, connectivity, camera); Pricing and availability.
Apple launches new MacBook Pros powered by M5 Pro, M5 Max, and 2x faster SSDs — new 'Super Cores' help deliver up to 30 percent performance boost
Apple's new MacBook Pros get M5 Pro and M5 Max power, along with increased base storage
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Apple has kicked off its second day of early 2026 product releases with two new chips, new MacBook Pros, and a new Liquid Retina XDR display. But starting things off, let’s discuss the latest additions to the powerful Apple Silicon family: the M5 Pro and the M5 Max.
The M5 Pro and M5 Max increase the maximum CPU core count to 18 (up from 14), but with a twist. Apple says that it’s now using six of its most performant cores ever, which it dubs “super cores.” 12 all-new performance cores join these super cores to handle sustained multitasking workloads. Together, Apple says that the new CPU core can deliver up to a 30 percent uplift in multi-threaded performance compared to M4 Pro and M4 Max.
The M5 Pro now supports up to 64GB of unified memory (up from 48GB on the M4 Pro), with a total bandwidth of 307 GBps. The M4 Max doubles both metrics, delivering support for up to 128GB of unified memory operating at 614 Gbps.
When it comes ot graphics, the M5 Pro now features 20 GPU cores, which the M5 Max features up to 40 cores. Each GPU core contains a neural accelerator, and, combined with higher memory bandwidth, Apple claims up to a 35 percent performance boost in ray-tracing apps compared to the M4 Pro and M4 Max. Other notable features include a 16-core neural engine on both chips and support for Thunderbolt 5.
The new M5 Pro and M5 Max are found in Apple’s refreshed MacBook Pros, which are still available in 14-inch and 16-inch form factors. According to Apple, users will see up to a 4x improvement in AI performance compared to the previous generation, and up to an 8x uplift compared to first-generation Apple Silicon.
If that wasn’t enough, Apple has also enhanced the storage subsystem, delivering double the performance for the onboard SSDs (up to 14.5 GBps). In addition, M5 Pro systems will now come with 1TB of base storage, while M5 Max systems will start at 2TB. Apple has stuck with Wi-Fi 6E across several generations of MacBook Pro refreshes, but now it’s using its in-house N1 networking chip, which combines Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Other features include a 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support, a Liquid Retina XDR display (1600 nits peak HDR brightness) that still includes a nano-texture option, and up to 24 hours of battery life.
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The new 14- and 16-inch MacBooks will be available for pre-order starting tomorrow, March 4th. However, there are some price hikes to accompany the increased performance and base storage. The 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts at $2,199 (up from $1,999) with the M5 Pro, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro now starts at $2,699 (up from $2,499). If you want to step into the M5 Max versions of those systems, you're looking at $3,599 and $3,899, respectively.
Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.
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ezst036 Whatever happened with Apple's push to try to attract new gamers? That plan that copied Valve's failed "port to Linux" strategy with the Steam Machine 1.0 by creating a "port to Metal" strategy?Reply
https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/macbooks/apples-renewed-push-for-mac-gaming-relies-on-its-whole-ecosystem-to-attract-users -
thestryker Seems like Apple is probably using LPDDR5X-9600 for these. Typically they've been a bit more conservative on memory speed so it's nice to see.Reply
Should the DRAM apocalypse end it'll be interesting to see if the new LPDDR5X packages propagate down or if they're only enabled by the absurd prices. Micron announced 32Gb LPDDR5X which equates to 64GB packages at their largest capacity. This would effectively eliminate the capacity advantage DDR5 has in the client space. -
JamesJones44 Reply
It still exists. Apple is claiming 35% better Ray Tracing performance in games and 40-60% (Max and Pro respectively) uplift in general gaming performance vs M4 Pro/Max variants.ezst036 said:Whatever happened with Apple's push to try to attract new gamers? That plan that copied Valve's failed "port to Linux" strategy with the Steam Machine 1.0 by creating a "port to Metal" strategy?
https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/macbooks/apples-renewed-push-for-mac-gaming-relies-on-its-whole-ecosystem-to-attract-users
They have seemed to double down on LLM training more though as most of there stats are about that for this release it seems.
Meridiano
